Replacement of Upper Column Bearing

There I was fitting the Momo wheel thinking this is going well, Ha should
have known !!! When I had everything back together the wheel rubbed pretty badly
on the dash pod, I removed some of the dash pod material where it rubbed
(carefully and discretely) but still to no avail.

A couple of emails on Rennlist resolved the issue, the upper bearing was
shot, seems the inner part of the bearing shell gets wider with wear and the
shaft begins to drop into the column with the obvious decrease in clearance.
With the standard wheel I guess there is more flexibility but the Momo hub is
not so forgiving !!!

Dave Roberts sent me a bearing overnight so I could drive the car at the
weekend, small cost ~$16 so it is cheap, however the replacement is a little
involved if not overly difficult. I ended up doing the removal of the pod so I
could get to the bearing easier and didn't take any photos until I got it all
apart so here it is all in reverse !!!!

Manual says to undo the knuckle joints in the engine bay and push the shaft
inwards so you can use an internal bearing puller. No need.

Here is the pod, bearing support and bearing removed. There
is a slot in the top of the column where I thought I could get to the back
of the bearing but many heavy blows failed to budge it. Some smaller blows
with a screwdirver from the side where the bearing overlaps the
column worked much better. So there you go pod removal is optional.

Pic of the bearing support, note the taper on the end
further away from my hand, this is what locates on the inside of the
bearing.

Another shot showing the expansion groove in the support.

Bearing in place after careful blows with hammer and flat
implement to cusion the blow.

Pulling on the shaft can then locate the bearing support and
C-clip, time and cause for celebration here !!!!

Dash pod connected and back in place, plenty of electrical
connections.

Very easy to forget the lever assembly, so loosen pod
assembly and fit back on column.

Here you can see the clearance though tight is not negative
like before !!!